"Far as the eye can reach": Scientific Exploration and Explorers' Poetry in the Arctic, 1832-1852

Abstract

WHEN CAPTAIN JOHN ROSS BURIED A HANDWRITTEN POEM UNDER A CAIRN on Leopold Island in winter 1832, he was also suppressing an impulse common among nineteenth-century British Arctic explorers. (1) From 1818 to 1860, British Admiralty sent numerous expeditions over land and sea to map far north and discover a Northwest Passage. (2) Narratives these expeditions were published to popular acclaim, and science Arctic exploration became a common topic for discussion in England, being of a nature to excite public attention and to engage a large share general conversation. (3) Arctic explorers themselves became national icons, and their scientific narratives reflected and celebrated rationality, determination, and logic Victorian mind. (4) The dominance scientific discourse in Arctic narrative, however, did not preclude existence other modes expression on these expeditions. Poetry also flourished on Arctic expeditions, and subject matter these poems both comp lemented and contrasted with foci scientific narratives. (5) This paper argues that detailed demands scientific enquiry encouraged a poetic imagination and form expression, but that poetic expression aboard these expeditions was also a form discursive protest against rigors scientific discovery. While scientific discourse called for detailed descriptions of, and unquenchable curiosity for, exploring surrounding world, it elided individuality observer, as well as emotion inherent in experience discovery, in favor a series objective observations. Though unsanctioned as an official language Arctic exploration, poetry repositioned observer in center experience, emphasizing interaction between explorer and landscape and giving precedence to subjective perception. A minor episode in George Lyon's 1825 narrative his voyage to Repulse Bay (on eastern shore Hudson's Bay) exemplifies tension between scientific and poetic language on Arctic expeditions. (6) While exploring a deserted Inuit village, Lyon and his men obey their scientific (ethnographic) curiosity and uncover grave an Inuit child. The men examine contents grave, and Lyon records all faithfully in his journal. When grave is fully exposed, however, a small bird's neatly built nest [is] found placed on neck child (p. 68). Lyon succinctly describes absent snow bunting, erstwhile owner nest, through an artistic comparison: he defines bird as the robin these dreary wilds, [with] its lively chirp and fearless confidence, bringing English domestic nostalgia (the robin), sublime (the dreary wilds), and concepts heroism (fearless confidence) to bear in his brief statement (p. 69). However, though this statement implies a personal and poetic con nection with bird, Lyon feels unauthorized to express it: could not on this occasion view its little nest, placed on breast infancy, without wishing that I possessed poetically expressing feelings it excited (p. 69). The ambiguity in Lyon's use term power underlines discursive difficulty his position. In Lyon's succinct and subtle description nest and skeleton, it is clear that he does indeed possess ability poetic expression. However, as a scientific observer, he lacks power to use it: Lyon is authorized to speak only scientifically discoveries and observations he makes, and his personal or poetic impressions have no purchase in his Admiralty narrative. Lyon's poetic self-restraint in 1825 had historical precedent; like other explorers before and after him, he followed example set by his employers. The discursive boundaries on Arctic expeditions were established by Admiralty manuals on subject, designed to aid explorers not only in their search for discoveries, but also in their narrative productions. …